Dinosaur hunting in the Gobi desert: Mongolia - 1 place remaining
16 August 2025 - 15 days for £7,799 per person - 1 place remaining
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Embark on an exhilarating and one-of-a-kind expedition to uncover dinosaur remains in the vast wilderness of the Gobi desert, one of the world’s most famous palaeontological hotspots. Participate in live prospecting and fossil digging across keys sites, with the potential to witness a significant discovery.
Guided by experts, explore sites including the stunning Flaming Cliffs where the first ever dinosaur eggs to be discovered were found in 1922 during the first modern palaeontological expedition into Mongolia. Unearth fossilised remains of creatures that roamed Earth millions of years ago, from towering theropods to smaller, bird-like species. Bookend the expedition in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, where you will visit famous museums and sites such as the laboratories of the Mongolian Institute of Palaeontology.
This hands-on experience allows you to learn excavation techniques, identify fossils, and gain insights into the prehistoric world. Whether you're a budding palaeontologist or simply fascinated by Earth's ancient history, this tour is a chance to connect with Mongolia's rich scientific heritage.
You will be accompanied throughout by palaeontologist and writer David Hone, who will offer a series of talks and walking seminars across the tour. In addition, you will also be accompanied by specialists from the Mongolian Institute of Palaeontology, gaining in-depth scientific insights into the ancient ecosystems that once thrived in the region. The expedition will also delve into the desert’s unique geological formations, providing a comprehensive understanding of the fossil record.
With no more than 16 guests on the trip, you will have plenty of access to the guides and experts.
In partnership with Intrepid Travel.
DAY 1: ARRIVE IN THE CAPITAL ULAANBAATAR
Welcome to Mongolia! Check into the Hotel Bayangol.
Ulaanbaatar offers a contrast between ancient traditions and the dawning of a 21st-century democracy, which can be seen in the traditional gers (a yurt-like accommodation) and Buddhist monasteries coexisting with modern high-rises.
In the evening, you will have a welcome dinner at the hotel with fellow guests where the tour leader will brief you on the tour ahead.
DAY 2: MORNING VISIT TO PALAEONTOLOGICAL LABORATORY OF MONGOLIA AND AFTERNOON FLY TO DALANZADGAD
In the morning, inspect Hunnu Mall, where a temporary field museum of palaeontology is on display. This is followed by a visit to the Palaeontological Laboratory of Mongolia. Here, you will get hands-on experience of how the institution runs and carries out its research. Finally, visit Bogd Khan Winter Palace Museum, which was home to the last Buddhist leader of Mongolia in the 20th century.
After lunch, transfer to the airport for your flight to Dalanzadgad. This is the gateway to the Gobi desert, comprised of mountains, sand dunes and fossil beds. You will arrive at around 18:30 and transfer by road to the Gobi Mirage ger camp which should take around 2 hours.
Upon arrival, you will meet our drivers and transfer to a ger camp at the Khongoryn Els sand dunes, the largest dunes in the Gobi desert. This amazing landscape offers one of Gobi’s diverse ecosystems. Here, you will meet the accompanying palaeontologists from the Mongolian Institute who will help you hunt for fossils while in the Gobi. Some of the best finds here have been unearthed by tourists and amateurs.
Travel distance and duration (flying): Flying distance from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad is 590 kilometres and about 1 hours flight.
Driving distance and duration (overland): Driving distance from Dalanzadgad to the ger camp is around 80 kilometres. Driving time is 2 hours.
DAY 3: NEMEGT
After breakfast, begin the scenic drive to the Nemegt Formation, one of the most significant paleontological sites on Earth. This remote desert region in the Gobi is world-renowned for its exceptionally well-preserved dinosaur fossils, some dating back over 70 million years. The Nemegt Formation is so fossil-rich that only one other place on the planet rivals it in paleontological importance—Alberta, Canada. As you journey across the arid landscape, imagine the ancient ecosystems that once thrived here, home to towering theropods, duck-billed dinosaurs, and the ancestors of modern birds.
Driving distance and duration: Approx. 300 kilometres and 7 to 8 hours driving.
DAYS 4 TO 5: NEMEGT MOUNTAINS
The central and western parts of the Gobi desert date from the middle to the late Cretaceous period, about 90 to 60 million years ago, which was a key period for dinosaur evolution.
Every day after breakfast, you will be divided into two groups and begin prospecting the valleys under the guidance of a guest palaeontologist. You will return to the base camp for lunch. It might be necessary on certain days to wait out the afternoon sun, until it gets cooler. Hearty meals will be served each day in a group expedition tent by an expert field chef following adventurous days of field prospecting, working and discovering the local flora and fauna.
Daily prospecting walks will continue with snacks provided. During one of these days, a palaeontologist will ask you to participate in the removal of promising looking finds, which sometimes can take hours or even days, depending on the size of the find.
In the evenings, you can enjoy a welcome drink around the campfire or in the mess tent while reviewing the day's discoveries.
Driving distance and duration: No driving during these days.
DAY 6: THE DRAGON TOMB
Today you will drive a short distance for a day tour to the Altan Ula location, another of Gobi’s vast and rich fossil beds where some of the best discoveries of large carnivorous dinosaurs have been made recently. Visit some incredible fossil bed sites before returning back to Nemegt.
Driving distance and duration: Round-trip approximately 140 kilometres or 3 bours driving total.
DAYS 7 TO 9: NEMEGT FORMATIONS
In the last leg of your journey, you will continue your prospecting and possible excavation of fossils found during the expedition, as every year reveals new and rare finds exposed after windy conditions and sometimes rainfall.
Each of the prospecting sites, where you will continue working under the guidance of a palaeontologist, is different in key ways: some have different sediments or unusual topography.
Driving distance and duration: No driving during these days.
DAY 10: GURVANSAIKHAN MOUNTAINS
This morning, you will drive back towards the central part of the Gobi desert, reaching your ger camp in the foothills of the Gobi Gurvansaikhan mountains.
Driving distance and duration: Ger camp to Turgirgiin Shiree is 100 kilometres or about 1.5 hour drive. Tugrigiin Shiree to Flaming Cliffs is about 90 kilometres or 1.3 hour drive. Flaming Cliffs to Ger Camp 60 kilometres or about 1 hour driving.
DAY 11: TUGRIGIIN SHIREE AND THE FLAMING CLIFFS
After breakfast, you will drive to the Tugregiin Shiree, which was discovered by Mongolian scientists and co-explored by Polish expeditions in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Tugrigiin Shiree is perhaps most known for its famous "Fighting Dinosaurs” (a fossil of a Protoceratops and a Velociraptor locked in combat), which were discovered in the 1970s. We will explore this white sandstone escarpment for dinosaur fossils. While at the Tugrigiin Shiree, enjoy a picnic lunch.
By late afternoon, you will reach the legendary Flaming Cliffs, red sandstone formations more than 3 kilometres long, where hundreds of dinosaur fossils have been discovered over the course of the past century. Palaeontological expeditions from many countries, including from the US, Poland, Japan and Russia, have worked here over the past 90 years. Each year, rain and wind reveal yet more fossils and every summer, exceptional new discoveries are made. You will explore the cliffs following in the footsteps of legendary US explorer Roy Chapman Andrews, who discovered the first dinosaur eggs that the world had ever seen nearly 100 years ago. Enjoy sunset dinner at this majestic place before returning back to the ger camp.
Driving distance and duration: Approx. 300 kilometres and 5 to 6 hours driving time.
DAY 12: DRIVE TO ULAANBAATAR
After breakfast, you will drive to Ulaanbaatar via the town of Dalanzadgad. This journey will take about 8-9 hours, and you will be accompanied by an English-speaking local guide throughout. The drive will offer you the opportunity to view the beautiful changing landscapes of Mongolia and experience the true vastness of this amazing country. During the journey, there will be stops every 80 – 100 kilometres for a bathroom break and a packed lunch will be provided.
In the evening, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
Driving distance and duration (overland): Driving distance from the ger camp to Dalanzadgad is 80 kilometres and a further 590 kilometres toUlaanbaatar, so a total 670 kilomatres. Driving time is 8 to 9 hours.
DAY 13: AFTERNOON CITY TOUR OF ULAANBAATAR INCLUDING GANDAN MONASTERY
This morning will be at leisure to rest after yesterdays long journey.
In the afternoon, visit the Gandan Monastery. The monastery is considered as the seat of Buddhism here and a popular spiritual destination for Mongolians from across the country. You will see the 26-metre-tall standing Buddha and visit monks in service. Next, you can marvel at the Chinggis Khan Museum of Mongolia for an excellent overview of Mongolia's history and culture. The exhibition includes Stone and Bronze Age art crafts, historical costumes of Mongolia's minority tribes and sacred religious relics.
DAY 14: DEBRIEFING AT THE INSTITUTE OF PALAEONTOLOGY AND ZANABAZAR FINE ARTS MUSEUM
You will spend the day visiting the Mongolian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Palaeontology and Geology and get an opportunity to provide a report on your field work. Approximately eight weeks later, you will be issued with a final trip report from the institute. After your institute visit, you will see the Central Museum of Mongolian Dinosaurs, which contains a stunning cache of recently confiscated fossils that had been smuggled out of the country.
Next, walk a short distance to visit the Zanabazar Fine Arts Museum, named in honour of a renowned 17th-century artist and politician, who was also the first Buddhist leader of Mongolia. The museum contains one of the best collections of Buddhist art and artefacts in the world, including many of Zanabazar's original works.
In the evening, you will be treated to a performance featuring traditional Mongolian dancers and khoomei (throat) singers followed by a farewell dinner.
DAY 15: DEPARTURE
After saying farewell at breakfast, there will be a group transfer to the airport for departure.
